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Classics

15 New Reader-Designed Covers for Classic Books

Rebecca Joines Schinsky

Chief of Staff

Rebecca Joines Schinsky is the executive director of product and ecommerce at Riot New Media Group. She co-hosts All the Books! and the Book Riot Podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccaschinsky.

One of the coolest things I saw at Book Expo America was a project called Recovering the Classics, which is a collaboration of the Creative Action Network and DailyLit. These awesome folks identified 50 of the best books that are in the public domain (meaning they’re not longer under copyright) and invited readers to design their own new covers. Then they make the newly covered books available for purchase as ebooks or as paperbacks printed on the Espresso Book Machine at Harvard Bookstore. This project? It’s turning cool up to eleven.

Let’s take a look at some of the new covers, shall we? These are some of my favorites–there are TONS to explore at Recovering the Classics.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, cover by Roberlan Borges

brothers karamazov cover by roberlan borges

 

 

The Collected Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, cover by Adam S. Doyle

collected works of edgar allan poe cover by adam s doyle

 

 

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, cover by Corbet and Curfman

count of monte cristo cover by corbet and curfman

 

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, cover by Luis Prado

Frankenstein cover luis prado

 

 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, cover by Louise Norman

heart of darkness cover by louise norman

 

 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, cover by Ashley Cale

jane eyre modern cover by ashley cale

 

 

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, cover by Wade Greenberg

 

jungle cover by wade greenberg

 

 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, cover by Lia Marcoux

little women cover by lia marcoux

 

 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, cover by Elena Ospina

metamorphosis cover by elena ospina

 

 

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, cover by Black Dwarf Designs

 

moby dick cover by black dwarf designs

 

 

I couldn’t decide between these two takes on Persuasion by Jane Austen.

This one’s by Heather Main.

persuasion cover by heather main

 

And this one is by Kathryn Delaney.

persuasion cover by kathryn delaney

 

 

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, cover by MrFurious

 

scarlet letter cover by mr furious

 

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, cover by Jon Cain

 

Time Machine cover by Jon Cain

 

 

And another H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds, cover by Kjell Roger Ringstad

 

 

war of the worlds cover by kjell roger ringstad

 

 

Visit Recovering the Classics to see more awesome designs, buy books, and contribute your own new covers. Tell me: which do you like best?